SEATTLE, May 29, 2020—Images of hope and flying home are winners of the Museum’s annual Spirit of Flight juried photography exhibition. The finalists were announced today, including those in the new Spirit of Flight Junior contest open to children ages 5-17. This year’s adult exhibition reflects the theme of “spirit of flying home,” and was inspired by 2020 being the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The top photo, “Mustangs at Dawn,” by California-based Rick Gauthreaux, features a quiet line-up of WWII P-51 fighter aircraft.
The children’s contest was open to all interpretations of flight, and was full of heart. Seattle’s Raisbeck Aviation High School student Max Welliver took top honors in the 14-17 age category with a dramatic shot of a fire fighting plane, while runner-up Seattleite Kora Green put her lens to a colorful Mallard, saying, “my picture shows a duck who just experienced a messy landing that dotted his face with water. After taking the photo and cooing at him for a while I witnessed him fly off again into the sky. What could be more beautiful than a flying array of color and the idea of always returning hope?”
11-year-old Spencer Ballard of Kent, Wash., is number one in the 9-13 age category; and Vivian Mallory, Maple Valley, Wash., is the top photographer in the 5-8 age group. Mallory’s photo is of her dad and brother playing with a paper airplane. “It looks like it’s so fast that it could go into the clouds,” she explained, “I wish I could soar up to the clouds with it.”
Photos: "Mustangs at Dawn," by Rick Gauthreaux. Duck after a landing, by Kora Green. Dad and son with paper airplane, by Vivian Mallory.
The exhibition is now online:
Spirit of Flight
Spirit of Flight Junior
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Ted Huetter/Senior Public Relations Manager
T: 206.768.7105 C: 206.455.5360 Email: thuetter@museumofflight.org
